4 Claude: Workarround while Problems installing and using exa-mcp-server

[gniiial]

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If you may have trouble (WIN only):

Clone the repository: clone (I did it with the desktop app!) use the link to the reposity https://github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server set YOUR personal path where to find it

open cmd as administrator cd PATH/TO/YOUR/git-clone/

Follow: Installation instructions

Install dependencies: npm install --save axios dotenv

Build the project: npm run build

Create a global link (this makes the server executable from anywhere): npm link

Create in a folder: C:\Users\YOUR-USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules@modelcontextprotocol exa-server

in there create a folder: dist

NOW go into PATH/TO/YOUR/git-clone/build and copy: index.js types.js

paste into: C:\Users\YOUR-USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules@modelcontextprotocol\exa-server\dist

NOW go into PATH/TO/YOUR/git-clone/ and copy:

node_modules (the whole folder) package.json README.md

paste into: C:\Users\YOUR-USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules@modelcontextprotocol\exa-server

then open C:\Users\YOUR-USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Claude open: claude_desktop_config.json

fill in the following lines: "exa-mcp-server": { "command": "node", "args": [ "C:/Users/YOUR-USERNAME/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/@modelcontextprotocol/exa-server/dist/index.js" ], "env": { "YOUR-API-KEY" }

},

What did we do?! We not just copied and cloned something. We also seperated all necessary files and structured them FOR Claude in the order the other MCP's are arranged. Then we can match exactly the acctual workaround for using the MCP's.

I hope it helps.

[tyu1996]

Thanks, it worked with a minor edit on args:

"args": ["C:\\Users\\YOUR-USERNAME\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules@modelcontextprotocol\\exa-server\\dist\\index.js"]

On Windows, since the file path is using backslash '\', so it needs to be escaped by adding another '\'.

[Yalums]

i'd better try https://github.com/Tar-ive/exa-mcp-server/tree/main, and for windows, i added this

"env": {
        "EXA_API_KEY": "your apis"
      }

below args label

[Feel-ix-343]

Hey! The looks like it's resolved. Let me know if the issue still exists. Thanks

[theishangoswami]

i believe this is solved

but still lets keep this issue open for other windows user to see and follow the steps if they encounter the same issue